Non-governmental organisation AfriForum has condemned any political interference in schools and “attempts to discredit legitimate actions by governing bodies”, calling out agendas by education authorities.

This after 12 Pretoria Girls High School learners were accused of alleged racial utterances and were subsequently found not guilty during a school disciplinary hearing.

The school, staff and learners came under fire lately after allegations of racism surfaced. Twelve learners were initially suspended for alleged racial utterances, micro-aggressions and complaints about African pupils, which were shared through a WhatsApp group consisting of only white pupils.

Last week, the South African Human Rights Commission said it was allowing the investigative process to be undertaken by the Gauteng Department of Education and will monitor the process and the outcome with the view to intervene.

The Department of Education has expressed disappointment with the outcome of the school’s disciplinary hearing, saying the school did not reveal the findings from its disciplinary process and did not share the report.

“These events have illustrated once more that some education authorities have an agenda against school governing bodies (SGBs). While the BELA Bill is still on the President’s desk, incidents like this one at the school in Pretoria are inflated to create the impression that democratically elected SGBs are enemies of quality education and the rights of learners,” said AfriForum head of cultural affairs Alana Bailey.

She said instead of treating SGBs like valued partners, they are often “made into scapegoats for the education department’s failures”.

“With the drafting of the BELA Bill, this hostility had already become evident, and incidents like the one at the girls’ school only serve to reveal the agenda more clearly. The abuse of learners as political pawns in the authorities’ endeavours to gain more power and control is unacceptable,” she said.